Durand hasn't had much luck against Dakota recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Durand Bulldogs will be taking part in a tournament against the Dakota Indians at 3:00 p.m. Dakota took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Durand, who comes in off a win.
Last Thursday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Durand beat Indian Creek 36-32. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bulldogs.
| 12/19/24 @ Indian Creek | 15 |
| 11/25/24 vs South Beloit | 14 |
| 11/30/24 vs Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy | 13 |
| 01/29/24 vs Warren | 10 |
| 11/21/24 vs South Beloit | 9 |
Among those leading the charge was Aurora Hilton, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 16 rebounds. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Jaydan Bartlett, who posted six points and six rebounds.
Durand smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Dakota was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last Monday as they fell 45-39 to Stockton. The defeat continues a trend for the Indians in their matchups with the Blackhawks: they've now lost seven in a row.
Despite the loss, Dakota saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hailey Kerchner had eight points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Cora Ingram, who posted 11 points.
Durand's win bumped their record up to 5-6. As for Dakota, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Durand has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 29.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Dakota struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Durand lost to Dakota on the road by a decisive 44-25 margin in their previous matchup back in February. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Kerchner, who went 8 of 13 on her way to 21 points and six rebounds. Now that Durand knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
